Arizona 87 remains closed

Arizona 87 remains closed as crews remove dirt from slide area


3/24/2008

PHOENIX ' State highway crews worked over the weekend to remove dirt and rocks from a landslide area that led to the closure of both north and southbound State Route 87 between Phoenix and Payson.


"When we finish that excavation we will know better how to address the pavement repair," said Bill Williams, a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Crews worked until Sunday night and will begin again early Monday morning hauling away dirt and rocks and shoring up a nearby mountain that collapsed.

ADOT officials have not yet decided when the highway will reopen because of safety issues. Engineers have been on the scene assessing what action can be taken to safely reopen the highway, ADOT said in a news release.

Friday, crews discovered buckled pavement at milepost 224, between Sunflower and Rye in the Slate Creek area, ADOT officials said.

The southbound lanes of the four-lane divided highway are most severely affected.

Until the highway reopens, the Arizona Department of Public Safety recommends motorists traveling north use either US 60 through Globe or I-17 north to State Route 260 from Camp Verde to Payson. This is also the recommended route for those traveling southbound from northern Arizona.

Southbound traffic was being routed onto State Route 188, while northbound traffic was closed at the Bush Highway near Fountain Hills, DPS and ADOT said.
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